Two Igbo Women in Traditional Attire, Onitsha
A photograph depicting two ladies from the Onitsha area. Both subjects are bare-chested and wear tight-fitting dark bands around their heads, multiple beaded necklaces with a central crescent-shaped pendant, and a diagonal sash across the torso. Their attire includes metallic bands on the upper arms and wrists, a wide multi-layered waist belt, and short wrap-around skirts. Both wear cylindrical metallic leg guards extending from the ankle to below the knee. One subject holds a fly-whisk and a closed umbrella, while the other also holds a closed umbrella. The background consists of a building made of corrugated metal sheets.
Community Notes
Onyeka Nwokike
May 11, 2026
Herbert Irvine Arabin Wimberley (1868-1945) was an Oxford-educated official who served in the Colonial Service as an Inspector of Schools in Lagos and later as Provincial Inspector of Schools in Onitsha. He was a prolific amateur photographer who documented the people and architecture of Southern Nigeria. His work is part of the Royal Commonwealth Society at the Cambridge University Library.
Onyeka Nwokike
May 11, 2026
The cylindrical metallic leg guards are called Nja (brass leg spirals), which signify wealth or status, often associated with coming-of-age ceremonies such as Iru Agbogho. The crescent-shaped pendant is a signature ornament of the Otu Odu (Ivory Society) or other high-status women, often carved from ivory or bone to symbolize the "Nkpulu Odu" (ivory nut or seed). The fly-whisk (Nza) is an emblem of authority used by members of title-holding societies like the Ozo or Otu Odu. The Otu Odu is a prestigious socio-political institution and is considered the female equivalent of the Agbalanze.
Log in to add context.
Explore Further
Discover related books and stories to deepen your understanding.
Groundwork of the History and Culture of Onitsha
By S. I. Bosah
The Thing Around Your Neck
By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The King in Every Man: Evolutionary Trends in Onitsha Ibo …
By Richard N. Henderson
After God Is Dibia: Igbo Cosmology, Divination and Sacred Science …
By John Anenechukwu Umeh
Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos
By Herbert M. Cole and Chike G. Aniakor
An African Popular Literature: A Study of Onitsha Market Pamphlets
By Emmanuel N. Obiechina
Among the Ibos of Nigeria
By G.T. Basden
The Asaba Massacre: Trauma, Memory, and the Nigerian Civil War
By S. Elizabeth Bird and Fraser M. Ottanelli
Lessons From Vernacular Architecture in Nigeria
By Joyce Lodson
You May Also Like
Group Portrait with Igbo Masquerade Headdress at Fort Salisbury
Questionnaire on Dolls
By Northcote Thomas
Dancer Wearing Fish Mask
By G.I. Jones
Royal Niger Company Vessel on the Niger River
By William Henry Crosse
Portrait of a Woman with Neck Markings
By William Henry Crosse
Soldiers of the Royal Niger Company
By William Henry Crosse
Aja Ǹgwùlù (Entrance to an Igbo Compound)
By Herbert Wimberley
Oganochi Mgbedike Masquerader, Nimo
By G.I. Jones
Ngbangba Ikoro Masquerade at Abiriba
By G.I. Jones
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!